The circulation of aqueous humor in the eye is closely related to intraocular pressure, and the hindrance of circulation of aqueous humor has a considerable effect on the intraocular pressure. When the circulation of aqueous humor is hindered, the intraocular pressure is increased to cause a disease considered to be related to intraocular pressure such as glaucoma or ocular hypertension.
In general, aqueous humor is produced through filtration or active transport of plasma components and most of aqueous humor flows out of the eyeball through the trabecular outflow pathway. That is, it becomes possible to prevent and/or treat a disease considered to be related to intraocular pressure by changing the morphology of trabecular meshwork cells with a drug or the like to reduce the resistance to aqueous humor outflow and increase aqueous humor outflow.
For example, as drugs for changing the morphology of trabecular meshwork cells to increase aqueous humor outflow, an actin polymerization inhibitor, latrunculin A, a myosin light-chain kinase (MLCK) inhibitor, H-7, a Rho-kinase inhibitor, Y-39983 (WO 97/30701 and WO 00/09162), and the like are known.
On the other hand, a compound having an N-(2-aminophenyl)benzamide structure has been disclosed in JP-A-10-0152462 as a therapeutic agent for a malignant tumor having a differentiation induction promoting effect.